Among the newest of U.S. towns · #133 of 142 in Oregon. What drives it
Most of Cedar Hills was built recently: 1% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1965. Below: 3 old photos and papers and maps from 1915 on.
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1854.The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Cedar Hills’ History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Cedar Hills is among the newest of U.S. towns, #133 of 142 in Oregon. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
D−
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Cedar Hills’ overall grade.
Oregon towns list more on the Register than most of the country (a typical Oregon town has 2.9 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Cedar Hills’ 0.0 sits below most of its state (18% of Oregon towns have fewer) while its 0 listings outnumber those of 23% of U.S. towns.
NoteThe founding year comes from Wikidata alone; no second source gives 1946.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from D− to D. The pre-1940 share (±1.2 points) is firm at this size.
Founding year: Wikidata (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Cedar Hills’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Plans to build the large new neighborhood were announced by the project's developers in April 1946, and construction of the first 50 homes had begun by then. Along with roads and utilities, the plans included a shopping center, schools, parks and churches, in a neighborhood of around 2,000 homes on about 800 acres (320 ha). A writer for The Oregonian newspaper at the time called it "the most ambitious suburban housing development ever attempted in the Northwest". The planned neighborhood was consistent with the racism in Oregon at the time, as the 1946 restrictions stated that "only Caucasians shall use or occupy the properties, except in the capacity of domestic servants, chauffeurs or employees."
In 1946, according to Wikidata. Cedar Hills’ post office opened in 1854.
How does Cedar Hills rank for history?
Cedar Hills is among the newest of U.S. towns, #133 of 142 in Oregon. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
How old are the homes in Cedar Hills?
1% of Cedar Hills’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±1.2 points), against a typical 5.3% for an Oregon town; the median home was built in 1965.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (6), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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2009
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